Table of Contents
For a review of grammar terms used in the post, make sure to check out the Unpacking the grammar section at the end!
First, we’ll take a look at some contexts in which both por and para can be used to mean different things.
Reason/cause (‘por’) and purpose (‘para’)
When you want to express the reason or the cause of something, you want to use por . It translates to “because of.”
For instance, consider the sentence: Está en el hospital por un problema menor. (She’s in the hospital because of a minor health problem.) The reason or the cause for why she’s in the hospital is introduced by por .
On the other hand, when you want to express purpose, para is the word you want to use. It translates to “to” or “in order to.”
One example could be: Vino a este país para trabajar. (He came to this country to/in order to work.) The purpose of his coming to this country is highlighted in blue, and it’s introduced by para.
| Use | Equivalent to | Example | Translation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| por | Reason/cause | because of | Está en el hospital por un problema menor. | She’s in the hospital because of a minor health problem. |
| para | Purpose | to/in order to | Vino a este país para trabajar. | He came to this country to/in order to work. |
Time (mostly ‘por’)
As a general rule, you want to use por when referring to time. For instance:
- Duration
To express how long you do/did/will do something, you can use por:
- Approximate time
- Specific part of the day
With words expressing parts of the day, like mañana (morning), tarde (afternoon, evening), and noche (night), you use por and the definite article la (the):
Trabajo por la mañana/por la tarde/por la noche.
I work in the morning/afternoon/evening/at night.
- Frequency and speed
The speed limit in this state is 65 miles per hour.
- Estar + por + infinitive (to be about to)
There’s another use of estar + por to mean “to be in favor of,” keep reading!
Click the link for more on Spanish prepositions of time.Space (mostly ‘por’)
- Paseamos por la playa.
We took a walk along the beach. - Estoy mirando por la ventana.
I’m looking through the window. - Vivo por la autopista.
I live by the highway. - El restaurante está por aquí.
The restaurant is around here.
Other uses of ‘por’
- Tasks to complete
Use por followed by an infinitive to mean “(yet) to be done.”- Me quedan tres episodios por mirar.
I have three episodes to watch. - Tengo un reporte por terminar.
I have a paper to finish.
- Me quedan tres episodios por mirar.
- Transportation and communication
Equivalent to the English “by means of,” “by,” “via,” and “through.”- Viaja por tren hasta Miami.
She travels by train to Miami. - Nos comunicamos por FaceTime.
We communicate via FaceTime.
- Viaja por tren hasta Miami.
- Substitution Equivalent to the English “on behalf of” and “instead of.”
- Trabajo por ti mañana.
I’ll take your shift tomorrow. - Lo hice por ti.
I did it on your behalf.
- Trabajo por ti mañana.
- Equivalent to “for the sake of” and “out of”For instance:
- Corre por correr.
She runs for the sake of running. - Lo hice por placer.
I did it for (out of) pleasure.
- Corre por correr.
- Agent in passive sentencesEquivalent to the English “by.” Learn more about Spanish passive sentences in this post. For instance:
The goal was scored by Ronaldo.
- Rates, multiplication, and exchangesEquivalent to the English “for” and “by.”
- El interés es del 6 por ciento.
The interest rate is 6 percent.
- El interés es del 6 por ciento.
- –¿Cuánto es dos por dos?
- –Lo compró por 10 dólares.
- To go get something
Por is used with verbs of movement (ir, to go; venir, to come; correr, to run…) to indicate fetching or searching for something.
⤷TIP In Spain, you can use the combo a + por with verbs of movement when you want to express that you’re getting something, but in Latin America use only por
- Estar + por + nouns (to be in favor of)
- Por is used with some adverbs of manner such as por cierto (certainly).
- Por is also used following certain verbs. For instance: esforzarse por (to make an effort to).
Other uses of ‘para’
- Recipients
- Opinions
- Contrast
It’s cold for August.
- Equivalent to “as” and “with the status of”
- Estar + para + infinitive
We can use estar with para followed by an infinitive to indicate that someone or something is ready for the action of the verb. For instance:
Este mango está perfecto; está para comérselo.
This mango is perfect; it’s ready to be eaten.
Este librero está para tirarse.
This bookshelf is ready to be thrown out.
- No estar para + nouns (lack of inclination to accept something)
You can use no estar + para to say that you’re not in the mood for something someone has inopportunely suggested or has improperly done. For instance:
Deja de molestar, no estoy para tonterías.
Stop being annoying, I’m not in the mood for your nonsense.
- (Para) con
- Employer
Summary
Wow! That was a lengthy lesson on Spanish “por” and “para.” Take some time to let it all sink in. To make it a little easier, here’s a downloadable and printable summary of all the uses of por and para with examples.
If you want to keep reading about Spanish prepositions, don’t miss out our post on the most common Spanish prepositions!
Ready to practice? Check out these activities (it includes an answer key)!
The passive voice is used to minimize the role of the agent (the person/object doing/causing the action) of the sentence in order to bring focus to the theme/patient of the sentence (the person/object that undergoes the action).
- In Spanish it’s formed essentially the same way as in English. The passive voice is formed with the auxiliary verb ser (in any tense) plus the past participle of the main verb in the active sentence:
Active (regular, normal, non-passive) sentence: Gaspar Noé dirigió esta película (Gaspar Noé directed this film).
Passive: Esta película fue dirigida por Gaspar Noé (This film was directed by Gaspar Noé).
